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Last-minute switch would serve one oil refinery — and environmentalists are crying foul

BLACK VOICE NEWS — With a bit of 11th-hour legislative magic, state lawmakers have taken a bill related to volunteer firefighter reimbursements and — poof! — transformed it into what opponents are calling a political gift to Kern Oil & Refining Co. In its rewritten form, the bill, authored by Democratic Assemblyman Rudy Salas of Bakersfield, would exempt certain small refiners from a state requirement to monitor potentially harmful emissions near their facilities.

Published

7 years ago

September 22, 2019

Oakland Post

Photo by: blackvoicenews.com

By Ben Christopher

With a bit of 11th-hour legislative magic, state lawmakers have taken a bill related to volunteer firefighter reimbursements and — poof! — transformed it into what opponents are calling a political gift to Kern Oil & Refining Co.

In its rewritten form, the bill, authored by Democratic Assemblyman Rudy Salas of Bakersfield, would exempt certain small refiners from a state requirement to monitor potentially harmful emissions near their facilities.

Salas told a Senate’s environmental committee Wednesday that the measure is simply intended to level the playing field between big and small facilities and to protect jobs in an economically needy part of the state.

The reworked bill “is meant to address the unintended consequences of previous legislation.” That measure, he said in a subsequent email to CalMatters, “put an unequal burden on small refineries like Kern Oil in Bakersfield by requiring them to institute the same new emissions testing as large-scale, multinational refineries in urban centers.”

“Air quality is extremely important to us in the Central Valley,” said Sen. Melissa Hurtado, a Democrat from the Fresno County town of Sanger, who is helping to usher the bill through the Senate. “But jobs (are) also important to us.”

Environmental groups are calling the new proposal a sneak attack by a politically connected polluter — the Kern County refinery — and an abuse of the state lawmaking process to weaken California air-quality law.

“I think they’re hoping that nobody has time to fact-check them so that they can rush something through that is going to hurt communities,” said Katie Valenzuela of the California Environmental Justice Alliance.

William Barrett, a lobbyist for the American Lung Association in California, concurred. “This is a last-minute effort to exempt an oil refinery in the most polluted county in the United States,” he said.

Salas’ new proposal is backed by Kern Oil & Refining, a relatively small operation in Bakersfield’s rural southeast and a constituent of the lawmaker. Other supporters are the state building-trades union and the mayor of Bakersfield. Sen. Shannon Grove, the GOP leader in the Senate who represents Bakersfield, is a coauthor.

With just three days left in the legislative calendar, Salas performed some legislative jiujitsu known as a “gut and amend”: stripping and rewriting a bill that had been left for dead, in hopes of pushing the new proposal through the lawmaking process before adjournment Friday at midnight.

Because California law requires bills to be finalized and published 72 hours before being sent to the governor, all amendments — including dramatic changes like this one — had to be made before midnight Tuesday. The rewritten bill was published Tuesday at 7:26 pm.

The new proposal would exempt Kern Oil & Refining from the monitoring requirement, which is set to take effect January 1.

The measure is opposed by many of the state’s major environmental and public health organizations, including the Earthjustice, Greenpeace and the Sierra Club.

The California Air Pollution Control Officers Association is another opponent, saying the bill “could result in lesser public health protections for disadvantaged and low-income communities.”

Jennifer Haley, president of Kern Oil & Refining, told the committee the company’s cost for monitoring would be $1.5 million to $3 million.

“We got caught up in legislation that was never intended to apply to us,” she added.

That came as news to Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, the Torrance Democrat who wrote the original air-monitoring bill. “The intent of the bill was to cover all communities surrounding refineries,” he told CalMatters.

Salas’ bill would exempt any refinery that processes less than 55,000 barrels of crude oil per day and is “located within a community that has a population of less than 3,000 residents within one mile of the refinery.” That describes only one refinery in California, according to a spokesman for Salas.

The Kern refinery is located across a highway from Fuller Acres, an unincorporated community of 872 people. According to the most recent census data, the median income there is $32,738, and 33% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Forty percent of the population is younger than 18.

Kern Oil and Refining gave $3,500 to Salas’ reelection campaign last year, though it also donated $2,500 to his opponent.

The California Independent Petroleum PAC, which is funded by the state’s independent refiners, has given more than $400,000 to state legislators in the last three years. Of that, $11,300 has gone to Salas and $4,650 to Hurtado.

The Senate environmental committee passed the bill, which means it can be taken up by the Senate, and then the Assembly for a final vote, Friday evening after 7:26 p.m.

CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

The author wrote this for CALmatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s Capitol works and why it matters.

This article originally appeared in Black Voice News.

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61 years since Selma, Houston leaders say the bridge remains to be crossed

61 years after Selma, Houston leaders say the fight for equality continues. The issues that sparked the marches still impact Black Americans today.

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Here is what you need to know about finding unique white elephant gift ideas that everyone wants to steal

The best white elephant gift ideas are funny enough to get a reaction but useful enough that people actually want to steal them. Look for gifts with a surprise factor, broad appeal, an inside joke, and just enough personality to spark some friendly competition. The wrapping paper comes off, the room goes quiet for half […]

Published

1 month ago

October 4, 2026

Oakland Post

The best white elephant gift ideas are funny enough to get a reaction but useful enough that people actually want to steal them. Look for gifts with a surprise factor, broad appeal, an inside joke, and just enough personality to spark some friendly competition.

The wrapping paper comes off, the room goes quiet for half a second, and suddenly everyone wants the same gift. That is the sweet spot. A great white elephant pick should make people laugh, lean in, and start plotting their next steal before the turn is even over.

Should a White Elephant Gift Be Funny or Useful?

A white elephant gift can be funny or useful, but the strongest choices usually give people a reason to laugh and a reason to keep the item. A practical gift with an odd design, unexpected feature, or playful theme can get a reaction without becoming something the recipient immediately wants to give away.

The right balance depends on the group. Close friends and family members may enjoy a ridiculous gag gift because they already understand one another’s sense of humor.

A workplace exchange, neighborhood party, or mixed-age gathering usually calls for something with broader appeal. In those settings, humor works better when it is built into an item people could still use afterward.

It also helps to think about how quickly the gift will make sense once it is opened. A strangely shaped kitchen tool, oversized mug, quirky desk accessory, or unexpectedly fancy everyday item can create an immediate reaction. Guests understand the joke right away, while the item still has enough practical value to attract a steal.

Pure gag gifts can be harder to pull off. Something that exists only for the punchline may get a big laugh during the reveal and then sit untouched for the rest of the game. If the goal is to bring one of the gifts everyone keeps fighting over, usefulness gives the joke staying power.

Memorable Present Ideas: Creating Inside Joke Gifts

Inside joke gifts can make a white elephant exchange feel much more personal, especially when most of the group shares the same stories. The trick is choosing a reference that people will recognize quickly instead of building the entire joke around something only two guests understand.

You can turn a memorable vacation mishap, office catchphrase, family story, or long-running group joke into the theme of the gift. A personalized comic book can work especially well when it turns familiar people or a ridiculous shared moment into part of the story.

Think carefully about who the joke involves before ordering anything permanent. The gift should make the person feel included in the fun, not singled out for the wrong reason.

Can You Bring Something You Already Own?

Holiday gift exchanges can be a good place to re-gift something you never used, especially if it is unopened and clean.

The following can all work if they still look presentable:

A duplicate kitchen gadget
An untouched game
A decorative item
A sealed gift set
An unopened candle
A new travel accessory

The goal is to give the item a second chance, not use the exchange as an excuse to clear out damaged or unwanted clutter.

Take a close look at the packaging before wrapping it. Faded boxes, missing pieces, visible wear, or anything that looks obviously used can make the gift feel careless.

Wrapping Budget-Friendly Gifts

Wrapping can make gifts more entertaining before anyone even knows what’s inside.

Misdirection works especially well for fun party games. Put a small gift inside a much larger box. Use packaging from an unrelated household item.

Add harmless weight so guests cannot guess what they are holding. The reveal becomes part of the joke without changing the gift itself.

You can also lean into the theme of the exchange. Bright paper, oversized bows, reusable bags, or deliberately over-the-top wrapping can make an ordinary item feel more memorable. If the gift itself is already funny, simple wrapping may work better so the surprise stays hidden until the last second.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Picking Last an Advantage in White Elephant?

Picking last can be an advantage because you get to see almost every gift before making your move. Instead of choosing blindly from the remaining wrapped presents, you can steal something that has already caught your attention if the rules still allow it.

That advantage depends on the house rules. Some games limit how many times a gift can be stolen.

Others lock an item once it reaches a certain number of steals. If the most popular gifts are already unavailable, the final player may have fewer strong options than expected.

The first player can also get another turn at the end in some versions of the game. That rule can balance things out, since the person who started with the least information may get one final chance to steal.

How Do You Plan White Elephant for a Large Group?

For a large white elephant exchange, set a firm spending limit and establish the stealing rules in advance.

Create a clear turn order before the game begins. Drawing numbers as guests arrive can save time once everyone is ready to start.

Keep the number of steals per gift limited so the game does not drag on. It also helps to have one person track which creative holiday presents have been stolen and when they are locked, especially if dozens of people are participating.

Can You Play White Elephant Virtually?

A virtual white elephant exchange can work over a video call, with one person keeping track of the turn order and each steal. Guests can either mail physical gifts ahead of time or use digital gifts that can be delivered once the game ends.

Set the spending limit and stealing rules before everyone joins. It also helps to decide how gifts will be revealed and who is responsible for sending each one afterward so the exchange does not become confusing.